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December 3, 2023 – 8:23 pm | 52 views

The Maccabees won the war one battle at a time. The odds they took on were impossible, but they never thought about the future escalations. Their only concern was with the battle in front of them.
Their first military skirmish was against a minor garrison of soldiers. It was not difficult …

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Articles in Vayechi

The First Diaspora Jew

December 31, 2022 – 8:13 pm | 713 views
diaspora jew

This week we are introduced to the diaspora Jew. Until this point, the Torah was concerned with holy people who lived in holy places (except for Abraham who lived for a while in Mesopotamia). We read about Joseph’s sale to Egypt several weeks ago, but that is not a true …

Vayechi: Priorities

December 11, 2021 – 8:09 pm | 1,208 views
priorities-innerstream.ca

What are your priorities in life?
Every Jewish parent knows that when it comes to blessing our children, Ephraim comes first. This is rooted in a passage in this week’s Torah portion. “He [Jacob] blessed them on that day saying, ‘With you Israel will bless, ‘may G-d make you like Ephraim …

Vayechi: To Be Alive

December 26, 2020 – 6:39 pm | 1,043 views
alive-innerstream.ca

Are you among the living or are you alive? To be among the living means that we are breathing, and functioning—we are not dead, but neither are we fully alive. To be alive means to pulsate with the energy of life. To be fully attuned to life.
After Jacob, our patriarch, …

Vayechi: A Symbol of Hope

January 4, 2020 – 10:22 pm | 1,312 views
hope-innerstream.ca

Hope would have been the most important thing that Jews could have when they descended to Egypt, but hope seems to have been the last thing on the Torah’s mind at this point in the narrative. The last Torah portion of the book of Genesis is all about the passing …

Vayechi: A Cast of Brothers

December 15, 2018 – 9:16 pm | 1,584 views
brothers-innerstream.ca

Joseph and his brothers had a rocky relationship. Over the years there had been some pretty bad times. They resented him and thought he maligned them to their father. For his part, Joseph didn’t help matters when he shared his grandiose dreams that cast him in the role of king …

Vayechi: Rejoice for Others

December 23, 2017 – 10:37 pm | 2,506 views
rejoice-for-others-innerstream.ca

To rejoice for others, when they receive the something that you coveted, is difficult. To rejoice for others despite personal disappointment, or loss, displays character, humility, and refinement. It is rare, but every parent hopes to see such virtue in their child.
As the sun sets on Friday and the weekday …

Vayechi: Our Mother

January 7, 2017 – 10:24 pm | 2,438 views
mother-innerstream.ca

At The Grave Of A Mother
I was standing in Bethlehem at the grave of our nation’s mother, the Matriarch Rachel. I was praying for myself, my family and our nation. I poured my heart out on this quiet sunny morning, to a mother I had never met. Swept up in …

Vayechi: What Are Your Life Goals?

December 19, 2015 – 7:08 pm | 3,049 views
life goals - innerstream.ca

Life Goals
We all have life goals. For some, it’s the building of family. To others it’s learning and discovery. To some, it’s building wealth. To others, it’s helping others. What are your soul’s life goals?
The soul made a long journey from heaven to earth. We don’t suppose it made its …